TOM BAKER ON THE SEATTLE MUSIC SCENE

Posted on April 23, 2014 by maestrobeats

Seattle composer Tom Baker (not to be confused with any other reputable Tom Bakers out there) is a crucial contributor to the new music scene in Seattle. He is the artistic director of the Seattle Composers’ Salon, the co-founder of the Seattle EXperimental Opera (SEXO), an instructor of Composition and Electronic Music at Cornish College of the Arts, and a performer alongside with many bands and ensembles, including the Tom Baker Quartet, Triptet, and Jesse Canterbury’s Vertigo.

He is also the founder of Present Sounds, a record label which celebrates new music by primarily Seattle-based composers and performers. You’ll certainly hear some of these tracks on our stream!

Tom stopped by the KING FM/Second Inversion studios recently to talk about some of his favorite tracks from a couple of these discs.

Stay tuned for more music and insights on our SoundCloud page from Tom! You can catch him live on May 2 at the Seattle Composers’ Salon, along with Seattle Composers William O. Smith, John Teske, and Keith Eisenbrey at 8pm at the Good Shepherd Center Chapel!

SAMPLES FROM HOTEL ELEFANT

Posted on April 18, 2014 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Stapleton

Contemporary music ensemble Hotel Elefant.

Leaha Maria Villarreal, co-founder of Hotel Elefant, a contemporary music ensemble dedicated to the works of innovative, living composers, was gracious enough to stop by our studios during a visit to Seattle and share some insights and inspirations behind a few pieces that Hotel Elefant has performed and recorded recently.

“Committed to modern sounds and sonic explorations, this vibrant ensemble brings a keen awareness of today’s music to the general public and highlights those living composers who are blurring lines, pushing boundaries, and fostering creativity.” This statement aligns SO well with the mission of Second Inversion. We’re thrilled to share this creative, passionate music with you. Thanks Leaha and all at Hotel Elefant!

CURTIS ON TOUR: HIGDON, BARBER, KRAMARCHUK & POULENC

Posted on April 9, 2014 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Stapleton

Each year some of the finest student musicians (at one of the finest institutions in the country!) have the unique and exciting opportunity to travel around the country on a concert tour. This year, a woodwind quintet of current Curtis students, plus ’05 alum pianist Di Wu, held this honor.

On Tuesday, March 25 they made a stop just north of Seattle at the Florence Henry Memorial Chapel as part of the Highlands Chapel Music Series and Second Inversion recorded their concert of (mostly) seasonally themed works for quintet and sextet by (mostly) Curtis composer alums:

Please enjoy this exciting concert audio along with some commentary from some of the performers and David Ludwig, director of the Curtis 20/21 Contemporary Music Ensemble. Stay tuned for more live concert recordings from Second Inversion!

A PIECE A WEEK WITH MADELEINE COCOLAS

Posted on April 4, 2014 by maestrobeats

Composer Madeleine Cocolas.

by Maggie Stapleton

Music has always been a passion for Madeleine Cocolas, Australian-born and now Seattle-based. When her husband landed a job in Seattle and they moved here a year and a half ago, she found a great opportunity to focus on composition in a project called “52 Weeks,” in which she’s composing one new piece every week for a whole year. With only a handful of weeks to go, she is nearly complete and she came here to chat about it with Second Inversion, sharing stories about 12 of the pieces!

Madeleine says this music is a reflection of how she feels each week and her response to living in Seattle…. “It’s fun to look back and trace my moods!” She’s drawn inspiration from a lot of sounds around Seattle (construction noises, for instance!) and the dark grey of colors of winter, represented in some melancholy piano music. Be sure to follow Madeleine (Blog, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud) as her project concludes in the coming weeks. We can’t wait to see what the next project will bring!

PARALLAXES & MORE WITH HUCK HODGE

Posted on March 25, 2014 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Stapleton

The University of Washington School of Music is fortunate to have Huck Hodge as an Assistant Professor of Composition. Hodge has already won more prestigious composition awards than many renowned composers twice his age. He is the winner of a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship the 2010-2011 Rome Prize, the 2008 Gaudeamus Prize and the Aaron Copland Award from the Bogliasco Foundation.

Huck stopped by our studios to share some insights about three of his compositions & recordings: re[(f)use] (2012), Parallaxes (2005), and Alêtheia (2011). As you listen to Huck’s commentary about Parallaxes, refer to this image.

With 3 other esteemed composers (Richard Karpen, Juan Pampin, and Joël-François Durand on faculty at UW and a top notch student modern ensemble, Inverted Space, expect this to be the first of many features on that program!